Hooded carton with improved severable hood portion



Oct. 25, 1,966 K. T. BUTTERY 3,281,058

HOODED CARTON WITH IMPROVED SEVERABLE HOOD PORTION J2 INVENTOR.

Oct. 25, 1966 K. T. Bum-:RY 3,281,058

HOODED CARTON WITH IMPROVED SEVERABLE HOOD PORTION Filed Sept. 13. 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 i j@ JJ Oct. 25, 1966 K. T. BUTTERY HOODED CARTON WITH IMPROVED SEVERABLE HOOD PORTION Filed Sept. 13, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 y@ m y Mm M e y W United States Patent Office 3,281,058 Patented Oct. 25, 1966 3,281,058 HOODED CARTON WITH IMPROVED SEVERABLE HOOD PORTION Kenneth T. Buttery, Kalamazoo, Mich., assigner, by mesne assignments, to Brown Company, a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 13, 1965, Ser. No. 487,015 7 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) The Ipresent invention relates to cartons, :and is more particularly concerned with cartons which may be readily yand inexpensively erected from integral cut and scored blanks, and which cartons are provided with covers having readily detachable adhesive panels securing lthe covers in closed position.

Cartons having a so-called ilip top cover hingedly connecte-d to the edge of the rear panel, which may be erected with the cover in sealed condition and which may be readily opened lby the removal of a tear strip, have become exceedingly popular, particularly Ias containers Ifor food items such as ice cream. vOnce the tear strip is removed, the Icover may be opened for access to some or all of the contents, and may be reclosed for further storage until the contents have Ibeen completely consumed. Cartons of the type described which have been available in the prior art, lalthough satisfactory in use, have the disadvantage that they are diicult to construct and seal on automatic machinery.

Prior art cartons are ygenerally provided with an outer front wall member integral with the cover of the carton, having its own flaps extending at the ends thereof. A -tear strip is Iprovided as an integral unit and extends from the end of one outer front Wall flap, across the outer front wall, and to the end of the opposite outer front wall flap. Such a structure is expensive, difficult to construct into a carton from an integral blank, and requires expensive machinery for the purposes off erection and sealing. Additionally, the stnucture requires a large amount of paperboard, thus -adding to the cost of the materials employe-d. Moreover, for many purposes it is suicient for only the cover front wall to be provided with detachable means adhesively afxin-g the cover to the front wall of the carton. Moreover, even where it is necessary to provide some means for aixing the cover end walls to the end walls of the body of the carton, it is in many cases sucient to provide means of limited extent -for so doing. Carton structures have already been disclosed wherein the cover end walls are provided with a severance line `defining -an adhesive panel which is adhesively .affixed to the end panels of the carton. When the cover is lifted, the side Walls are detached from the adhesive panel at the severance line. However, existing structures suffer from a disadvantage in that it is generally difficult to separate the cover from the adhesive panels without tearing the cover end walls, leaving ragged edges along the severance line, or -disfiguring the carton body or cover top panel as by buckling during the initial process of opening the carton.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel carton and particularly one which may be formed from integral cut and scored mutually nestable blanks. It is a further object to provide `a top-opening carton which may be sealed by means of a detachable adhesive strip afxing the cover to the front wall of the carton. It is another object to provide such a carton which may be readily reclosed when it is desired to store -unconsrumed contents. It is a still further object to provide a carton of the type described which can be readily erected and subsequently sealed by means of relatively simple and inexpensive machinery. It is a primary object -to provide a carton wherein the cover end Wall panels are provided with a severance line ldefining a detachable adhesive panel securing the cover end wall panels to the end panels of the carton, said panel being so contoured that the cover may be readily detached from the :adhesive panel without tearing or buckling of the cover, and without leaving unsightly separation edges. A special object is to provide such a carton wherein the said adhesive panel not only connects the covered wall panels to end aps, but also serves to connect carton front and back wall outer end flaps to each other even after the carton has once been opened, thus adding greater strength and rigidity to the carton. The accomplishment of the foregoing and additional objects will become more fully apparent hereinafter.

The invention in its preferred embodiment is illustrated by the .accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is Ia plan view of -a blank cut an-d scored for assembling a carton according to the invention, and additionally showing a portion of the edge of an adjacent blank nesting therewith.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the blank folded over and glfued to lform a flattened tube.

FIG. 3 is an end view of the carton showing the front and rear wall outer end flaps in partially folded position. FIG. 4 is a bottom View of the structure of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken at the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the sealed carton; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the carton of FIG. 6 after the seal has been broken .and the cover opened.

According to the invention, a carton is provided which is formed from an integral blank having panels including a Ibottom member, a front wall member hingedly connected to one edge of the bottom member, a rear wall member hingedly connected to the other edge of the bottom member, and end ril-aps hingedly connected to the ends -of said members. A cover member is provided which is hinged'ly connected to the 'upper edge of the rear wall member. The cover member is provided with cover flaps comprising cover end wall panels and a cover front wall panel. The cover 'front wall panel is provided at its ends with end aps loverlapped by and `adhesively affixed to the cover end wall panels. Detachable means, as Ifor example an adhesive strip, or an adhesive strip in combination with `a tear strip, is provided yat the edge of the cover front wall panel adhesively -aixing the cover front wall panel to the front wall member. The cover end wall panels are each suitably provided with a severance line or fracture score defining an adhesive panel adhesively ailixed to end flaps of the carton, thereby securing the cover end wall panels to the end of the carton. The severance line defining the adhesive panel comprises at least one straight segment defining a rear portion of the adhesive panel and being `disposed at .an angle of from about forty to 'fty degrees and preferably at an angle of about forty-five degrees with respect to the score line at which the cover end wall panel is hingedly connected to the cover panel. The remainder of the severance line defining the adhesive panel may have any of various contours, but preferably comprises a second straight segme-nt oriented at an acute angle with the free edge of the cover end wall panel, :and a thrid segment connecting the ends of the other two segments. As a result of the particular contour of the severance line defini-ng the adhesive panel, when the cover is lifted to open the carton, lthe cover end wall panel is cleanly separated from the adhesive panel at the severance line without tearing or buckling either the cover or carton walls and without leaving unduly raw and unsightly edges.

-Reference is now made to the accompanying drawings for a better understanding of the invention, wherein all of the parts are numbered, wherein the same numbers are used to refer to corresponding parts throughout, and wherein areas having an adhesive applied thereto are indicated by stippled shading. l

In a preferred form, the carton of the invention is constructed from an integral blank, ,as illustrated in FIG. ll, and comprises a bottom panel member 1, a front wall member 2, Y-and arear wall member 2 hingedly connected to the bottom member 1. A cover member 4 is hingedly connected to the rear w-all member 3. The bottom 1 is' provided .at its ends with inner end wall fiaps 5 hingedly connected thereto, the 4front wall member Z is provided at its ends with front wall outer end flaps 6 hingedly connected thereto, and the rear Wall member 3 is provided with rear wall outer end aps 7 hingedly connected thereto.

The cover member 4 is provided with end flaps S comprising cover end w-all panels 9 having adhesive panels 10 connected to the panels 9 at severance or fracture lines 11. The cover member 4 is also provided at its forward edge with a cover flap 12 comprising a cover front wall panel 13, a pair of spaced-apart parallel severance lines or fracture scores 14 defining a detachable tear strip 15 having a tab 16, and an adhesive panel 17. In order` to facilitate detachment of the cover end wall panels 9 from the adhesive panels 10 when the cover is opened, the severance or fracture lines 11, according to `the invention, each comprise a rear portion 11a oriented in a direction disposed lat an angle of from about forty degrees to about fifty degrees, and preferably at about Ifor-ty-ffive degrees, with respect to the score Vline 25 at which the cover end wall panels are hingedly connected to the cover member 4. A second segment 111b comprises a substantially straight line 'forming an acute angle with the edge of the cover end wall panels and directed upwardly and rearwardly. A third segment 11e, also substantially in the form of a straight line, connects the ends of Vthe other two segments.V In order to facilitate Adet-achment of the Iadhesive panel 10 from the cover end wall panel 9, and to insure that the separation is made -cleanly and without tearing or buckling any of the panels, the segment 11a must lie in substantially a straight line and must be oriented with respect to the score line 25 as stated above. The other two segments 11b and 11C may be varied somewhat without impairing the ability of the adhesive panel to separate cleanly. 1For example, the two segments may be in tlhe form of a single continuous curved line. Alternatively, one of the two segments 11b and 11c may lbe curved Iand the other str-aight. If desired the corners at one or .all of the intersections of the segments may be rounded off without impairing the success of the opening operation. However, the optimum form ihas been found to be that illustrated in the drawing wherein t-he severance line 11 comprises three separate straight line segments, .and preferably wherein the angle between the segment `11a and the score line 25 is about forty-five degrees.

In :an improved structure but one not directly involving the present invention, the lower portions of the terminal edges of the rear wall outer end flaps are each provided with an oblique recession 1=9 receding from the forward-most terminal edge 23 toward the bottom edge of the flap 7 to a vertical edge 23a having the same length as the edge 23. The forward edge 23 should be positioned a suficient distance from the bottom edge of the flap, or from an imaginary line representing an extension of the score line 25, so that the edge 23 cle-ars the adhesive area 24 when the flaps 6 land v7 tare folded together. A rectangular corner recess is preferably also provided in the upper terminal corner of the rear outer end wall iiap 7 lto facilitate nesting of adjacent blanks when they are cut from the paperboard stock, as shownin FIG. 1. The oblique receding edge 1:9, which should preferably be straight, has a further function in that it permits the oblique edge 19 of an .adjacent blank to nest closely 4 therewith, as shown in FIG. l, accomplishing a materia-l saving in raw material.

In the broader aspects of the structure described, the rectangular recess or cut-out 20 may be omitted, thus increasing the vertical dimension of the forward edge 23 of fiap 7 or of ythe oblique recession 19. Although such embodiment does not have the complete blank nesting ability of the embodiment described and illustrated in the drawings, it still retains the advantages yth-at the front edge 23 of the'rear wall outer end flap 7 clears the adhesive area 24 of the front wall outer end ap 6, and that it permits the fi-ap 6 to be directly .adhered to the inner Vend wall 5 over a significant segment of its length.

In assembling the carton, the carton blank may be folded at the score line between the -bottom 1 and rear wall member 3. The cover front wall panel 13 is then folded over and the ladhesive lpanel 17 affixed to the outer surface of the front wall member 2, forming a folded t-ube, .as shown lin FIG. 2. Alternatively, the front wall member 2 may be folded over at lthe score line connecting it with the bottom 1, and the adhesive panel 17 may then be glued to the outer surface of the front wall member 2 in the same manner. In either form the carton so folded occupies very little space, and may be shipped to th-e packager in this Iform for filling and sealing.

To erect the carton further for filling, `the folded carton is squared up, as on a conventional squaring machine. One end is then closed by first folding in the inner end wall ap 5. The rear wall outer end flap 7 and the front wall outer end flap 6 are then folded in, the front wall outer end flap overlapping the rear Iwall outer end flap. The contour provided by ythe recessed edge 19 permits the terminal edge 23 of the rear wall outer end flap 7 to clear the adhesive area 24 on the inner surface of the outer wall end flap 6. The cover front wall panel end flap 18 is then folded over, followed finally by the folding over of the cover end wall panel 9. The greater length of the ap 18 permits it to be engaged and folded over by the plow of the folding apparatus before the panel 9 (of lesser width) is engaged. Heat is then applied to activate and set the adhesive, causing the front wall cuter end ap 6 to become adhesively aixed to the rear wall outer end flap 7 and also to the inner end Wall ap 5. The adhesive panel 10 becomes adhesively afliXed to rear wall outer end fiap 7 and to front wall outer end ap 6 and cover front wall panel end flap 18 becomes affixed to cover end wall panel 9. The carton may then be filled through'the end remaining open. The opened end may subsequently be closed and sealed in the same manner, to form a completely sealed carton as shown in FIG. 6. Alternatively, the first carton end may be closed and/or tacked, as with glue, but not sealed, and then both carton ends sealed concurrently or simultaneously after filling of the carton. The sealed carton may be opened by grasping the tab 16 Vand removing the tear strip 15. As the front of the cover is grasped and lifted upwardly, the cover end wall panels are detached from the adhesive panels 10 at the severance line 11. Because of the particular contour of the severance line, as .shown in the drawings and above-described, the cover is cleanly separated from the adhesive panels. Moreover, because the segment l11a is in the form of a str-aight line, and because of the particular angle subtended with the score line 25, the separation is clean and Ythe danger that the cover may be torn ,or defaced as by buckling is eliminated.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described in only one embodiment, other embodiments and variations thereof may be employed. The detachable means for securing the cover front wall panel to the front wall member is shown as an adhesive panel connected to the cover by a tear strip, but :other means may be used. For example, the tear strip may be eliminated and an adhesive panel, which is severable from the cover front wall panel by means of .a single severance line, used to connect the cover front wall panel to the front wall member. Alternatively, such a removable adhesive panel may be used which is aixed to the front wall member at isolated glue areas.

As stated above, the segment 11a defining a rear portion of the adhesive panel must be oriented substantially in a straight line subtending an angle of from about 40 to about 50 and preferably an angle of about 45 with the score line 25. However, the remaining portion of the severance line, segments 11b and 11C, may form part of a curve. Alternatively one of the two segments may be straight and the other curved. If desired, a small notch may be provided at the point where the segment 11b intersects the free edge of the cover end wall panel, to assist in the initiation of the tearing process. As shown, the cover end wall panels 9 are provided with a recess at their rear corners. However, if desired, the recess may be eliminated, as long as the severance line 11a extends to the edge of the panel 9.

Although the invention has been described primarily as it would be practiced when a heat-sealable adhesive is carried directly on the carton blank, other types and forms of adhesive and other means of applying the adhesive to effect sealing of the carton may be employed.

Plastic (such as polyethylene) coated or wax coated paperboard, or laminated paperboard with openings for extrusion sealing, may also be employed for the cartons and carton blanks according to the invention.

The outer end flap tapers 50, 51, and 52, where shown in the drawings, are not essential for either operativeness or completeness of the carton structure. However, it has been found that taper 50 at the upper terminal edge of the rear wall outer end flap and taper 52 at the upper terminal edge of the front wall outer end ap are convenient modilications which have the result of eliminating binding of the carton on the ways of the cartoning machinery with the extended inner ap 5 of the preceding carton in the machine. This allows greater speed of packaging without undesirable time-delays.

Moreover, because of the recess in rear Wall outer end flaps 7, there is sometimes a tendency for the upper terminal edge of the rear waLll outer end ap 7 to bind with the upper terminal edge of the front wall outer end flap 6 during closing of the front wall outer end flap 6 upon the rear wall outer end ilap 7. This tendency to bind is eliminated by provision of taper 51 at the upper terminal edge of front wall outer end flaps 6, which may be present alone or together with taper 52, in such latter case providing a double taper to the upper terminal edge of the front wall outer end ilap 6 in the preferred embodiment of this structural modification. In addition, the tapers 50 and 52 serve the further function of =main taining the outer end ilaps 6 and 7 in better alignment upon sealing, since closure of the cover end aps upon the front and rear Wall outer end flaps 6 and 7 when tapers 50 and 52 are present does not tend to push the end ilaps out of proper alignment thereby causing the ultimate sealing to 'be less satisfactory than desired.

Although the cover end wall panel structure with the particular form of adhesive panel herein disclosed and described may be employed in a Brightwood style carton wherein the bottom end panel is the outside end panel of the carton and the carton front and back wall end flaps lie on the inside thereof in `the erected carton, their most advantageous employment is in a carton structure such as that particularly disclosed herein, i.e., wherein the carton bottom end ap lies inside and the carton front and back end aps lie outside in the erected carton. In such strueture the adhesive panel not only may be used to adhere the cover end panels to the carton ends, but also to adhere `together the carton front and back end flaps, as shown, and thus lend added structural support to the carton even after the cover has been initially opened.

It is thus seen that an economical and conveniently erected and sealed carton of sufficient durability for frequent opening and reclosing is produced having particui larly advantaneously designed cover end wall flaps in which an integral detachable adhesive panel is so designed that it may be readily and cleanly detached for permitting the cover to be opened without tearing, buckling, or defacing of the carton, and whereby all ofthe other objects of the invention are attained.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction, operation, or exact materials or embodiments shown and described, as obvious modications and equivalents will be apparent to one skilled in the art, and the invention is therefore to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carton formed of an integral blank cut and scored to provide a bottom member, a front wall member hingedly connected to one edge of said bottom member, a rear wall member hingedly connected to the other edge of said bottom member, and end flaps hingedly connected to the ends of said members, a cover member hingedly connected to the upper edge of said rear wall member provided with cover aps comprising a cover fron-t Wall panel and cover end wall panels hingedly connected to said cover member at score lines, said cover end wall panels each being provided with a severance line dening a detachable adhesive panel adhesively aiiixed to end flaps, said severance :line comprising a segment directed upwardly and forwardly and deiining a rear portion of said adhesive panel oriented in substantially a straight line disposed at an angle of from about forty degrees to about fifty degrees with respect to the score line at which said cover end wall panel is hingedly connected to said cover member, and detachable means adhesively affixing said cover front wall panel to saidfront wall member.

2. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the segment of said severance line defining a rear portion of said adhesive panel is disposed at -an angle of forty-live degrees with respect to the score line at which said cover end wall panel is hingedly connected to said cover member.

3. An integral blank for forming a carton cut and scored .to provide a bottom member, a front wall member .hingedly connected to one edge of said bottom member, a rear Wall member hingedly connected to the other edge of said bottom member, and end aps hingedly connected to the ends of said members, a cover member hingedly connected to the upper edge of said rear wall member provided with cover flaps comprising a cover front wall panel and cover end wall panels hingedly connected to said cover member at score lines, said cover end wall panels each being provided with a severance line defining a detachable adhesive panel adapted to be adhesively aixed to end flaps, said severance line comprising a segment directed upwardly and forwardly and defining a rear portion of said adhesive panel oriented in substantially a straight line disposed at an angle of from about forty degrees .to about lifty degrees with respect to the score line at which said cover end wall panel is hingedly connected to said cover member, and detachable means adapted for adhesively aflixing said cover front wall panel to said front wall member.

`4. An integral blank according to claim 3 wherein the segment of said severance line defining a rear portion of said adhesive panel is disposed at an angle of forty-live degrees with respect to ythe score line at which said cover end wall panel is hingedly connected to said cover member.

5. An integral blank for forming a carton cut and scored to provide a bottom member, a front Wall member hingedly connected to one edge of said bottom member, a rear wall member hingedly connected to the other edge of said bottom member, and end flaps hingedly connected to the ends of said members, a cover member hingedly connected to the upper edge of said rear wall member provided with cover flaps comprising a cover front wall panel and cover end wall panels hingedly connected to said cover member at score lines, said cover end Wall panels each being provided with a severance line dening a detachable adhesive panel adapted to be 'adhesively affixed to end iiaps, said severance line comprising a segment directed upwardly and forwardly and defining a rear portion of said adhesive panel being in substantially a straight line disposed Iat an angle of fromV about forty degrees to about iifty degrees with respect to the score line at which said cover end wall panel is hingedly connected to said cover member, a second segment intersecting the free edge of said cover end Wall panel at an acute angle and defining the forward edge of said adhesive panel, and a third segment connecting the ends of said rst and second segments and defining the upper wall of said adhesive panel, and detachable means adapted for adhesively aiixing said cover front wall panel to said front wall member.

' 6. An integral blank according to claim 5 wherein both said second and said third segments are in the form of straight lines.

7. A carton according to claim 1 wherein the adhesive panel not only connects the cover end wall panels to end iiaps, but serves to connect carton front and back wall outer end flaps to each other even -after the carton has once been opened.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,125,280 A 3/1964 Henry 229--51 3,144,980 8/1964 Larson 229-51 3,197,114 7/1965 Holmes 229-51 JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DAVID M. BOCKENEK, Examiner. 

1. A CARTON FORMED OF AN INTEGRAL BLANK CUT AND SCORED TO PROVIDE A BOTTOM MEMBER, A FRONT WALL MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO ONE EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, A REAR WALL MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE OTHER EDGE OF SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, AND END FLAPS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE ENDS OF SAID MEMBERS, A COVER MEMBER HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID REAR WALL MEMBER PROVIDED WITH COVER FLAPS COMPRISING A COVER FRONT WALL PANEL AND COVER END WALL PANELS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID COVER MEMBER AT SCORE LINES, SAID COVER END WALL PANELS EACH BEING PROVIDED WITH A SEVERANCE LINE DEFINING A DETACHABLE ADHESIVE PANEL ADHESIVELY AFFIXED TO END FLAPS, SAID SEVERANCE LINE COMPRISING A SEGMENT DIRECTED UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY AND DEFINING A REAR PORTION OF SAID ADHESIVE PANEL ORIENTED IN SUBSTANTIALLY A STRAIGHT LINE DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE OF FROM ABOUT FORTY DEGREES TO ABOUT FIFTY DEGREES WITH RESPECT TO THE SCORE LINE AT WHICH SAID COVER END WALL PANEL IS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID COVER MEMBER, AND DETACHABLE MEANS ADHESIVELY AFFIXING SAID COVER FRONT WALL PANEL TO SAID FRONT WALL MEMBER. 